Washing-machine.



PATENTED MAR. 26, 1.9.07. R. WOERNER. WASHING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED P3128, 1906.

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R. WOERNER. WASHING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 190B.

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ROBERT WVOERNER, OF MANNHEIM, GERMANY.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

Application filed February 28, 1906. Serial No. 303,400.

To all whom it near concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT WOERNER, a citizen of the Empire of Germany,residing at Mannheim, in the Empire of Germany, have invented a new anduseful Washing-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

There are known washingmachines with drums internally provided withturnable wringing-flaps, which latter are automatically actuated; butthese drums are turned in one direction only, so that the clothes orlinen are not thoroughly worked.

My invention relates to a washing-machine the drum of which is to berepeatedly turned in both directions, so that the clothes or linen maybe thoroughly worked. For this purpose according to my invention some ofthe wringing-flaps are adapted to be actuated during the rotation of thedrum in the one direction only, while the other wringing-flaps areadapted to be actuated during the rotation of the drum in the otherdirection only. Those flaps which are not actuated serve simply forlifting the clothes and for allowing them to drop. In the knownwashing-machines, on the contrary, the clothes are lifted not by thewringing-flaps themselves, but by special radial boards fastened on theinside of the drum. In opposition to the fiaps of known washing-machinesaccording to m invention the flaps are made doublethat is to say, theyare each formed of two adjoining plates, which are set at an angle toeach other and are made to rock around their crossing-line. They areprovided with fingers which project without through the walls of thedrum and are adapted to be actuated,

respectively, by either of two rollers. A device is provided forbringing either of the two rollers into the right position in accordancewith the direction in which the drum is to be turned. The new flaps arecapable of lifting the clothes and of dropping them nearly through thefull height or diameter of the drum, whereby of course the cleaningeffect of the machine is enlarged.

I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectionthrough a washing-machine, and Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same on anenlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a side view of the machine, the side wall ofthe casing being broken away.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts in all figures.

An octagonal perforated drum 6 is mounted in a-casing c to turn and canbe put into rotation by means of a hand-crank w. The casing c is shownas connected with a water box 6, which in turn is inserted in a secondwater-box a and may be put in communica tion therewith by any suitableand known means, readily understood. The lower water-box a, may bearranged to be heated by means of any known and approved heating device75. I do not further describe this heating device nor the twowater-boxes a and b or the connections, as these parts are immaterial tomy invention.

The drum e is arranged to partly dip in the water, as is indicated atFig. 1. In four opposite corners of the drum e four flaps are mounted torock, which flaps are formed each of two adjoining boards m and n, m andM,

m and 72 m and a, respectively. As is clearly shown at Fig. 1, thesepairs of boards are set at an angle to each other, so that either of thetwo boards is placed radially if the other bears on the wall of thedrum. Two opposite flaps, formed of the boards m n and m a are to worktogether, while the remaining two opposite flaps, formed of the boards mn and m M, are to work together. The two former flaps m n and m n areprovided with fingers g and which are placedin the plane of the roller pat right angles to the drum 6. The other two flaps m n and m n areprovided with fingers g and g in another plane at right angles to thedrum, in the plane of the roller 19 The drum e may be provided with tworigid radial plates 7" r for lifting the clothes, and it is preferablyprovided with a door a for the introduction or withdrawal of theclothes. The two rollers p p are mounted to turn on two pins at the endsof a two-armed lever g, which are fastened on a shaft (1. The shaft clis mounted in the water-box b to rock through an angle of about ninetydegrees and can be turned from without by means of a handle f and crank90 or the like. provided with a cover 10. Suflicient space is leftwithin the casing c to the four fingers g, g g and g, of which 9 and gare adapted to strike one after the other the roller p, While g and gare adapted to strike the roller 19 The two opposite fingers q and g areshown The casing 0 may be in Fig. 1 as bent in the one direction, andthe two other opposite fingers g and g are bent in the other direction.

The washing-machine is operated as follows: The water is introduced andheated in any known manner. After removing the cover is and opening thedoor 11. the drum 6 is charged with clothes or linen, and then the doora is closed and the cover 76 is put on. The handle f is adjusted forbringing the lever or arms 9 with the two rollers p 19 into therespective position, and the drum 6 is turned, by means of thehand-crank w, in one directionsay that of the arrow in Fig. 1. The flapm n will bear with its board 'm" on the wall of the drum 0; by reason ofits own weight. The moment, however, it dips in the water it will beturned upward by reason of its buoyancy and of the resistance of theclothes on the bottom of the drum, and it will push forward the clothes.When its finger q strikes the upper roller 2), which is in the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 3, it will be thereby turned to the left, so thatit will wring the clothes. On the finger q leaving the roller 1) theflap will be turned back to the right by the elasticity and gravity ofthe clothes lying thereon and henceforward the flaps 'm/ 'n will liftthe clothes. These clothes then slide off and drop down, if the flap 'mn is arrived above. The next following flap m n, bearing with its boardm.

on the wall of the drum by reason of its own weight, will be turnedupward on dipping in the water by reason of its buoyancy, so that itwill push with its board m the clothes forward without wringing them,since its finger 9 does not strike the roller 29 this latter being inthe position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The clothes lifted slide off theradially-placed board of the respective fiap and drop into the lowerspace of the drum 6, if such flap is arrived above. The radial plate 1",following the flap 'm it, not only takes along with it the clothesupward, but also prevents them from adhering to the uppermost wall ofthe drum 6. The board m of the flap 1% n following the radial plate 1",will fall on the wall of the drum and bear on the same until the flapturns upward on dipping in the water, when its board m will push forwardthe clothes before it and will wring the same under the action of itsfinger g and the roller p exactly the same as the flap m it hadpreviously done, as described above. Thus the clothes are wringed,lifted, and dropped repeatedly. When the operator thinks it right, hestops the machine, re verses the two rollers p p by means of the handlef, crank x, shaft 01, and lever g, and turns the drum 6 by means of thehand-crank a in the opposite direction.

The washing-machine may be varied in many respects without departingfrom the principle of my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isI 1. In a washing-machine, the combination with a casing, of ahorizontal drum perforated and mounted in said casing to turn, means fordriving said horizontal drum alternately in two directions, a pluralityof flaps mounted in corners of said horizontal drum to rock and eachcomposed of two adjoining boards, of which the one is placedapproximately radially, if'the other rests on a wall of the drum, aplurality of fingers secured alternately on said plurality of flaps intwo planes at right angles to said drum and projecting to without, ahorizontal shaft mounted to turn in said casing without said horizontaldrum, two arms fastened on said horizontal shaft and carrying two pins,two rollers dis osed in the two planes of said plurality of fi ngers andmounted to turn on the pins of said two arms respectively, they beingadapted to alternately strike the fingers and thereby to turn the flapsfor wringing the clothes, and means for reversing said horizontal shaft.

2. In a washing-machine, the combination with a casing, of a horizontaldrum polygonal in section and perforated and mounted in said casing toturn, means for driving said horizontal drum alternately in twodirections, said drum being adapted to dip water in said casing, aplurality of fiaps mounted in corners of said horizontal drum to rockand each composed of two adjoining boards, of which the one is placedapproximately radially, if the other rests on a wall of the drum, aplurahty of radial plates on the inside of said horizontal drum betweensaid plurality of flaps and adapted for lifting the clothes, a pluralityof fingers secured alternately on said plurality of flaps in two planesat right angles to said drum and projecting to without, a horizontalshaft mounted to turn in said casing beneath said horizontal drum, twoarms fastened on said horizontal shaft and carrying two pins, tworollers disposed in the two planes of said plurality of fingers andmounted to turn on the pins of said two arms respectively, they beingadapted to alternately strike the fingers and thereby to turn the flapsfor wringing the clothes, and means for reversing said horizontal shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT WOERNER.

Witnesses:

N. C. SCHLEMMER, Jos. H. LEUTE.

